


Wanderlust

by Frostanity



Category: Books of the Raksura - Martha Wells
Genre: Gen
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-06-14
Updated: 2017-06-14
Packaged: 2018-11-13 22:39:16
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,821
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11194914
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Frostanity/pseuds/Frostanity
Summary: Now grown into a young adult consort, Cloud wants to see the world. Persuading the others to let him go is not easy.





	Wanderlust

**Author's Note:**

  * For [Kiraly](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Kiraly/gifts).



> Kiraly requested something showing how the Sky Copper clutch (Frost, Thorn, Bitter) gets along with Moon's first clutch (Solace, Sapphire, Cloud, Rain, Fern). Here's my spin on that. Enjoy. :)

“The boat is here! We saw the flare!” 

Excited warriors swooped out the knothole entrance to see the new arrival and equally excited Arbora rushed inside to tell everybody else. 

Niran’s visits had become a regular event that most Raksura looked forward to because he brought trade goods from far afield. Niran had learned, over time, what Raksura valued and what they would find interesting. There were several clocks in the colony now, not because anyone cared about keeping track of time the way groundling did but because the clocks were carved pleasingly and made lovely chiming sounds. 

Moon went to fetch Chime as soon as he heard the news, but Chime had clearly already heard, because he was busy digging out trade goods that the Arbora had put aside specifically for Niran’s upcoming visit. 

“Help me,” Chime demanded, pushing baskets at Moon, who obligingly let himself be loaded up like a pack animal. Using a consort like this would probably be an appalling breech of etiquette in any other court, but Moon didn’t mind. 

They didn’t even get halfway to the knothole entrance before half a dozen Arbora swarmed them to relieve them of their burdens. “This is our job, not yours,” one told Moon. “Go catch up with Jade, she’s already out there.”

Moon and Chime flew out. The ship was, for security reasons, nowhere near the tree. They’d agreed on a place nearer the edge of the Reaches for trade meetings. When Niran arrived there, he sent up a flare to alert the court. This strategy cut down on the number of strangers who knew the precise location of the Indigo Cloud court and its setup. It was fine for Niran to come for trade since he had earned their trust, but they didn’t want other groundlings to come bumbling about uninvited. 

Jade, Balm, and a few other warriors were on the ship, conducting a version of the greeting ritual they’d shortened for use with the groundlings. It mostly consisted of a female warrior—Balm—announcing Jade to the entire ship and Jade welcoming Niran personally. Nobody else had landed, awaiting permission—ah, except for one young rebel who’d shifted to groundling as if to try to avoid notice. 

“Cloud,” Moon said as he landed near. “Did Jade say you could come?”

The young consort, so recently out of the nurseries that Moon was still uneasy to see him flying alone, ducked his head. “I want to see Niran’s goods first, before the others get to them.”

“So do I,” Chime said cheerfully, which rather undercut the little speech Moon had been planning to launch into regarding proper behavior with visitors. 

Moon let it go; groundlings were blissfully oblivious to Raksura court etiquette and certainly wouldn’t care, let alone notice, if Indigo Cloud had a consort with a little too much spunk. Moon personally didn’t mind either—how could he, being who he was?—but he worried Cloud’s attitude might hurt his chances to find a queen with whom he could get along. Cloud’s only prospect within Indigo Cloud was Frost, but she had yet to make a move to indicate specific interest in either Cloud or Rain. Moon hadn’t pushed, because they were still young and Ember had specifically and emphatically told him to let things happen naturally, but these questions were beginning to concern him. Sometimes, he almost felt like a real First Consort. Ha!

“Moon, Chime, welcome!” Niran said cheerfully. “It’s nice to see you well.”

“You as well,” Moon said. “How is your grandfather?”

“The same. Still irate he’s finally too old to travel. He wrote you some letters; I’ll send them over tomorrow.”

“Thank you. I’ll write something to send back.” Corresponding with far-away friends was a pleasure Moon had only recently discovered, since he’d come to reading and writing rather late in life. 

“Would you like an early look at our goods, while you’re here?” Niran smiled knowingly. “Maybe you’ll find something interesting.”

“Oh, yes, why not,” Chime said, completely failing to hide his interest. 

They went to the captain’s cabin, shifting to groundling because there was no room for bulky wings inside. Moon pretended not to see Cloud creep in after them.

“How do you like being a trader?” Moon asked Niran while Chime and Cloud examined the goods in various baskets. There were more clocks, different ones this times, and colored beads, and interesting new dyes. Live plants were regularly part of the cargo, sometimes because they had health benefits (for groundlings, anyway), but more often because they had pretty flowers. The Arbora thought that introducing foreign plants to their pleasure gardens would impress other courts. Later, all these items would be spread out on deck for the whole court to investigate and trading wars would rage. 

“I’m not a trader,” Niran protested. “We only do this one trade run, and only because you won’t accept anyone else.”

“I’m sorry for the hardship,” Moon said sardonically. “How much profit do you make from these trips?”

Niran looked uneasy. “I’m not trying to take advantage of anyone.”

“I know.” Moon smiled, showing teeth in a way he’d learn not to do with Raksura. “Nobody’s being taken advantage of, except perhaps your buyers.” He kept an eye on the trading to make sure this remained true.

“Ha!”

When Moon judged he’d given Chime time enough to spot interesting items, he said, “We need to be getting home. We’ll be back tomorrow for the trading. Did you need anything? Jade must already have offered food?”

“She did. The warriors will bring us fresh meat to enjoy tonight. We need nothing else. We’ll be glad to see you all tomorrow.”

Moon didn’t force Cloud to come along. He was acting so shifty he might well be looking for a special gift. 

A number of warriors were settled on top of the captain’s cabin with strict orders to protect the flying boat from predators and enterprising young Raksura; Moon paused long enough to tell them to send an escort with Cloud when he was ready to go home to the colony tree.

“Did you see what Cloud was looking at?” Moon asked Chime.

“No. He didn’t want me to see what he was after, I think. Any idea?”

“Maybe he wants to court Frost,” Moon said wistfully. “I think he’s interested.” 

It was usually queens who courted consorts but if anyone among his clutches was going to go against the grain, it was going to be Cloud the troublemaker. Moon had thought Frost to be a handful when she was small, but the worst she’d done was starting a mutiny in the nurseries. Cloud now, Cloud had plans. When fledglings had gone missing from the nurseries, it was always because Cloud had convinced the others to follow him into mayhem. Hopefully his new plan was to impress a queen. 

*

Finally, Moon was gone. Cloud turned away from the goods and closed the door so the noisy warriors on top wouldn’t hear. “Niran, can I talk to you?”

The groundling glanced over warily. “Yes?”

“I wanted to ask…would you allow me to travel with you for a year? I can work.”

“Know much about flying boats, do you?”

“I can hunt and fetch water,” Cloud said firmly. “I can clean. I can be useful.”

“Have you asked Moon?”

Cloud nearly winced. He’d hoped Niran wouldn’t be perceptive enough to ask that question. Other Raksura would have been more concerned about the reigning queen’s opinion, but that was not the problem here.

“Not yet,” Cloud admitted.

Niran made a thoughtful humming noise, considering him. “Maybe. Get permission first. I don’t want your father to come after us thinking we stole his child.”

Cloud couldn’t argue with that. He’d seen Moon hunt and disembowel powerful creatures like it was nothing. Moon on the warpath to recover a stolen consort would be terrifying. 

“If Moon says yes, you’ll take me?” he pressed.

“If he tells me, personally, that you can come. Then yes.”

There went Cloud’s clever plan to forge Moon’s writing--he’d learned about “forging” in a groundling book Moon had read to him turns ago. Nonetheless, he drew himself up and stuck out his hand awkwardly. Groundlings shook hands to make deals official; that was also in groundling books. 

Niran took his hand and squeezed; Cloud returned the pressure gently. “I’ll be back tomorrow,” Cloud said. “Thank you.”

Now, he thought as he flew back to the tree with an escort, here came the hard part…

“You want to what?” Ember said, bemused. “That’s…not usual.” The words “especially for a consort” went unsaid but not unheard. Ember was tactful, but he was also boringly proper. 

“I know,” Cloud said, “but I want to see what’s out there while I’m young and unattached.”

“You’re about as likely to listen to me as your sire,” Pearl said, sounding annoyed but no more than usual. “ Go ask Jade. You’re her problem.”

Ember looked vaguely disapproving but did not comment further. 

Cloud made his escape, satisfied. That was roughly how he’d expected things to go. Next stop; his birthqueen. 

Jade heard him out and sighed in answer. “I should have known better than to name you after a known trouble-maker, shouldn’t I?”

“It’s in his blood,” Balm commented. “Be glad Rain isn’t like that, too.”

Cloud’s tail twitched but he held his spines steady. He was mighty tired of being unfavorably compared to his clutch-brother, the darling perfect consort of the court. On Niran’s boat, nobody would care about his clutch-brother. 

“Have you asked Niran yet?” Jade’s tone suggested she knew the answer.

“He said I could go.” Lying to your birthqueen was never a good idea, so he added, “If Moon approves.” 

“Ah. He understands us rather well by now, doesn’t he? Well, go on. Go ask Moon.” 

That, too, was roughly how Cloud had expected things to go. Now came the really hard part…

Cloud tracked down his sire in his bower in the consorts’ quarters. He was alone with his favorite warrior. 

“You want to do what?” Chime said, almost as bemused as Ember had been. 

“No,” Moon snapped. “Absolutely not. It’s far too dangerous out there.”

Cloud kept his voice soft. “I know. That’s why I want to go with experienced travellers using a proven travelling method. They make the trip every year without trouble so I know it’s safe.”

“That’s true,” Chime said.

Moon got to his feet, spines flaring. “Don’t make me repeat myself,” he said with a growl. “I said no!” He narrowed his eyes. “And I forbid you to go back to the boat without me. Understand?”

“Yes…”

Cloud sneaked a glance at Chime, who motioned him to the door. Yeah, that’s what he thought. He scrambled out.

Rain was standing outside the door, close enough to eavesdrop. “Well,” he drawled. “I told you so, didn’t I?”

Cloud snarled at his oh-so-elegant, oh-so-proper clutch-brother. “Shut up.” 

“I’m sorry,” Rain said, more gently. “But your project is just…too much. You should try to ask to visit another court instead. That you might get.”

Cloud stomped off to his own bower. He didn’t want to see another court; he already knew what courts were like. He wanted to see groundlings and sealings and all sorts of new things. 

To be honest, he had seen this setback coming but hadn’t quite figured out what he could do about it. Now that he was face to face with it, he still didn’t know what to do. Moon was, to be put it mildly, overprotective. The other adults didn’t seem to grasp exactly how fierce Moon could be about it. Those who lived under Moon’s paranoid eye had a better understanding of it. Jade hadn’t seemed to grasp how Moon would react, but Rain and his clutch-sisters had. 

Cloud sulked by the firepit all evening-long, trying and failing to find a solution. Arbora brought food but left him alone when he grunted indistinctly at them. By now everybody had clearly heard about his outrageous request. He’d managed to keep his plan a secret for a long time, but that was over now. 

Frost erupted into his bower with no warning or permission. A queen might visit her clutch-brothers in their bowers, but shouldn’t visit the bowers of unrelated consorts. At least a little mindful of this, Frost stayed in the doorway.

“Cloud, you can’t really mean to leave!”

“I want to travel. I don’t expect you to understand.” 

“Don’t go. I…”

Bitter pushed in past his clutch-sister, grabbed her wrist, and towed her closer to the firepit. “Lower your voice or everyone will hear.”

Now that they had a chaperone, it was somewhat better. Ember still wouldn’t like it if he heard, though, and would make Moon talk to them about it.

Frost sat down in a slump. “I meant to give you courting gifts. Soon.”

“I know.” Or suspected, at least. That was half the reason he’d wanted to go now, before she committed herself.

“And you still want to leave?” she asked, indignant. 

“I want to go now, while I’m young and have no responsibilities. I understand if you end up taking another consort while I’m gone.” Like Rain, or someone from an allied court. 

“I won’t!” Frost said fiercely. “I want you!”

Staring at Frost, Cloud felt his face grow hot. He couldn’t help it; no queen had ever said that to him before. It was unexpectedly embarrassing. And pleasant. 

Frost stared back at him, looking embarrassed and defiant all at once. 

Cloud had to look away to answer. “If you ask when I come back, I won’t say no.”

“You say that now,” Frost said, deflating. “You might change, if you go.”

“I probably can’t go,” he admitted. “I really want to, but Moon yelled at me. If I can’t make him change his mind…”

“Oh, yes, Moon.” She winced. “I’m sorry.”

“You don’t sound very sorry.”

“Well, I don’t want you to go…”

“You’re not helping!” 

Bitter just sighed at them both.

 

*

 

Moon's bower shortly had visitors: Jade and Balm. Likely someone had gone to tell them about the yelling in the consorts’ quarters. 

"No, he can’t go,” Moon repeated. “Why do you all want to let him? Consorts don’t travel!" Everybody looked at him incredulously, so he added, "Proper consorts don’t travel! You all told me so! Multiple times!"

"Well, they don’t usually want to," Chime said. "If he does, why not?"

"No. I said no."

"Why are you so upset?" Jade asked, clearly baffled. "We trust Niran, don't we?"

"It's all the other groundlings I don't trust. Niran cant hold back a mob if they decide to take Cloud for a Fell." He didn’t know how to explain the other possibilities; that someone would try to take sexual advantage, that Cloud could be bullied or harassed or even accused of murder if he were pushed to defend himself. He could be lied to easily; Raksura trusted too much.

"Of course he can't go alone," Balm said. "A few warriors would have to go. They can’t be taken for Fell, not with their colors."

"Who'd be willing to go?” Chime asked, brow furrowed. “Other than the stupid ones? They’re more likely to be a hindrance than any help in an emergency.” 

"I said no," Moon said peevishly.

"Then go with him,” Jade said. “I asked his clutchmates; he's been planning this since Niran last came here. I don’t want him resentful. Resentful consorts are just trouble. He might run away. He's yours; he would dare."

Moon hissed. He didn’t want to leave. He had clutches to watch over. 

Jade reached to wrap an arm about his waist and haul him closer. He resisted a moment, but her scent always relaxed him and he had to curl into it. "This is all my fault for reading him groundling books isn't it?” he said against her shoulder. “I should never have taught him to hunt. He’s too independent.”

"He's different,” Jade said simply. 

“I don’t see that it's a bad thing,” Chime said. “We cope with you just fine."

Moon gave a half-hearted hiss. He just wanted his clutches to be safe!

Stone came strolling in. "What are you upset about now?"

Moon sat up. "Where were you?"

Stone, as usual, was unimpressed with Moon’s temper. "Merit wanted to trade some fresh cuttings with the Kek for Niran."

As a general rule they didn’t let Merit go down to the Kek village without Jade, Moon, or Stone as escort. Two of the three had been on the boat to greet Niran, so Merit must have appealed to Stone. 

Stone sat down with them. "I take it Cloud told you his plan?"

"You knew?" Moon said it accusingly, which, again, did not affect Stone in the least.

"He asked some questions. I suspected."

"We can’t let him go! What will the other courts think? He won’t get a queen."

Stone snorted. "That won’t be a problem. Frost all but took him already. While you were wallowing in here, the two of them were having a heart-to-heart on the other side of the consorts’ level.”

"She what?"

 

*

 

Frost waited by Jade’s bower until its owner appeared. "Come in," Jade said. They settled down with tea, because that’s what you did, but neither drank much of it. "This is about Cloud?"

"Yes. Will you let him go?"

"Do you want him to go?"

"No. But it seemed important to him, even after I told him..."

"You could go with," Jade suggested. "We are a bit at a loss who to send to watch his back."

Frost knew she got defensive too easily, but she couldn’t help it if her spine lifted. "I’m a queen. I belong here. This is my court too!"

Jade regarded Frost steadily until the defiance went out of the younger queen’s spines. Then she said, gently, "Yes it is, and your place is secure. Moon would strangle anyone who suggested otherwise, but he’ll never have to because we all claim you. Besides, it’s also a queen's job to watch over other members of the court such as young consorts with a peculiar taste for adventure."

"I don’t know," Frost said, torn. 

"Nobody will be angry if you come back mated,” Jade added casually. 

Well, that was embarrassing. "I… I'll think about it." She fled to her bower, where she found no peace because her clutchmates were there. 

"Just go," Thorn said as she came in. "You want to.”

 

"But what about you two." Frost had never left them, not even for a day. Half the time she slept in their bower, or them in hers. It probably wasn’t entirely normal at their age but nobody had said anything about it. 

"We'll miss you and will demand stories when you return,” Bitter said quietly. “Moon wouldn’t let anything happen to us."

"Promise not to take a queen while I'm gone. Not a foreign one, I mean." Moon's daughters were a bit too young yet but Frost hoped they would be interested in her clutchmates in a few turns. "Or I'll murder whoever she is when I come back." She gave it a bit more thought. “And preferably not Sapphire.”

“There’s nothing wrong with Sapphire, you just don’t like her because she argues with you.”

Frost’s spines tried to lift, but she controlled them. “I’m an older queen; she should respect me!” She knew she was being insecure about it, and she shouldn’t be anymore after what Jade had said, but…

Bitter rolled his eyes eloquently. Everybody thought Bitter was a sweet, biddable consort, but Frost knew better. She eyed him suspiciously. “Promise!”

 

*

 

Rain clearly felt bad about Cloud's distress, because he dragged their other clutchmates in to help. 

"I don’t think you should go," Fern fretted. "I'll miss you horribly."

"As will we all," Sapphire countered. "But he's allowed dreams, so help or get out."

"Cloud could hide on the boat," Solace said. "On the bottom maybe."

"He'd think to look." 

"Then we arrange to visit another court but do a detour to catch up with the boat and leave Cloud with them. By the time we come back they'll practically be back to the islands."

"You forget that Moon knows where the golden islanders live. He's fully capable of flying there to drag Cloud back."

"Then we have to make him say yes."

"How?"

"Find an escort willing to go. Which warrior is experienced enough for this?"

"I like River. He tells me stories about their adventures."

Bitter poked his head in. "War council?"

"Yes," Solace said. "Come in. We're assembling an escort. River is promising."

"Add Frost," Bitter said with satisfaction.

Fern squealed. "She's declared herself?!" Fern lunged to sniff at Cloud. "Not official yet?"

Cloud pushed his clutchmates off, blushing. "I said when I come back."

Sapphire pouted at him. “I suppose it’s inevitable. She better treat you we—ow! Don’t hit me!”

Solace sniffed. “Then don’t be like that. Frost will be great for Cloud and we all approve, yes?”

“Yes, fine,” Sapphire said sullenly. 

“Can we focus on the matter at hand?” Rain said impatiently. “What’s the plan?”

“I don’t think that covertness will help,” Bitter said. “Hiding things will make Moon angrier.”

The discussion grew spirited very fast. 

Cloud sat and listened to them talk, and felt warm. He didn’t always get along with the others because he was a troublemaker and they liked reminding him of it, but when he needed help they were there. 

 

*

 

On his way to talk to Cloud, Moon was somewhat taken aback to find over a half-dozen people staring at him, including his entire first clutch and his adopted clutch too. 

It was not at all reassuring. 

"What is this about?"

Solace pushed to her feet. "You have to let Cloud go. Frost will go with to keep him safe, and River and Drift, and Bramble too. We got them to agree already. He'll be as safe as can be."

There was a chorus of agreement. 

It...it was actually quite nice to see them all collaborating. Moon found it hard to hold onto his objections in the face of so many determined youngsters.

Cloud stood up and faced his sire. “I want this,” he said. “I will find a way, now or later. I think the flying boat is the safest option, but I’m willing to grab a pack and leave alone in the middle of the night if I have to.”

“I promise I’ll keep him safe,” Frost said, moving forward until her arm brushed Cloud’s. The way Cloud twitched nervously at the contact seemed to confirm what Stone had said. 

Moon tried valiantly to stand firm. “I…”

Many pairs of eyes watched him.

"…Niran has to agree first.”

 

*

Niran looked over the group with a resigned air. "I expected as much. You'll have to feed yourselves."


End file.
